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Oh, Gourd: Bergenfield Grandma Grows Massive Pumpkin Oh, Gourd: Bergenfield Grandma Grows Massive Pumpkin
Oh, Gourd: Bergenfield Grandma Grows Massive Pumpkin Emma Jackson says her cucumbers didn't do so well this year. The cushaw pumpkin, on the other hand, certainly makes up for them. Back in April, the Bergenfield grandmother came across a little seed in her yard. She's not quite sure how it got there, but decided to plant it anyway. To Jackson's surprise, the baby seed grew to become a 23-pound, two-foot-long gourd. "It just kept growing all over the place," the 77-year-old grandmother said.  Anxious to see how much it weighed, Jackson picked her pumpkin on Monday. This has been Jackson's largest vegetable yet. Although as it tur…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Kids Are Lining Up For Halloween Scare From North Jersey Brothers Kids Are Lining Up For Halloween Scare From North Jersey Brothers
Kids Are Lining Up For Halloween Scare From North Jersey Brothers The costume-clad kids that gather on the corner of Jay and Tontine avenues in Lyndhurst every Halloween aren't there for candy. They've come for a fright -- and the Cuneo brothers are prepared to bring it. For the past eight years, Chris Cuneo, 31, and Kevin Cuneo, 29, have been the masterminds behind an elaborate fright fest on their own front lawn.  They call it: #HalloweenOnJay. Dress as scary clowns, zombies and other masked characters from your worst nightmares, the Cuneos -- along with several friends and family members -- plant themselves in between the dozens of animatronics strat…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Community Rallies For Elmwood Park Dad Fighting Cancer Community Rallies For Elmwood Park Dad Fighting Cancer
Community Rallies For Elmwood Park Dad Fighting Cancer He's a father, a husband, a son, and a friend. Now, Bryan Castro of Elmwood Park is a fighter, too. More than $5,200 had been raised as of Saturday afternoon on a GoFundMe for the 28-year-old Clifton native, recently diagnosed with  Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Castro is facing several rounds of chemotherapy treatment and has already endured one surgery and a slew of tests. "This has been one of the toughest situations Bryan and I have had to go through," said his wife Cynthia, the page's founder, "but I know I have to stay strong and be his biggest support system through this journe…

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by Cecilia Levine
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First He Ran To Boston. Now North Jersey Doctor Is Running Across America First He Ran To Boston. Now North Jersey Doctor Is Running Across America
First He Ran To Boston. Now North Jersey Doctor Is Running Across America First, he ran to Boston. Now, he's running across America. Chiropractor and acupuncturist Larry Grogin set out next summer will set out from Paterson to Ventura, California -- that's 2800 miles. He'll run 32 a day and won't stop until he gets there. "It's not going to be a story about the Larry Grogin run it's a story about America," he said. "A story about the people that I get to meet." Grogin, a Paramus High School graduate, is encouraging others to run with him as he raises funds and awareness for Oasis, an organization for children and families in need. He calls it…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Separated At Birth: Video Shows Wayne Teacher's Emotional Reunion With Long-Lost Twin Sister Separated At Birth: Video Shows Wayne Teacher's Emotional Reunion With Long-Lost Twin Sister
Separated At Birth: Video Shows Wayne Teacher's Emotional Reunion With Long-Lost Twin Sister A 54-year-old Wayne woman was reunited with her long-lost twin sister after watching this summer's hit documentary "Three Identical Strangers." The film follows three triplets who were part of a study designed by late psychologist Dr. Peter Neubauer, who took sets of multiples and sent them to a now-defunct adoption agency called Louise Wise Services. The multiples were then separated and placed in families of varying socioeconomic backgrounds. While watching the film, Wayne's Michelle Mordkoff, a Packanack Elementary School teacher, recognized the name of the agency.  Mordkoff -…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Down Syndrome Wiffle Ball Fundraiser Honors River Edge Man's Late Friend Down Syndrome Wiffle Ball Fundraiser Honors River Edge Man's Late Friend
Down Syndrome Wiffle Ball Fundraiser Honors River Edge Man's Late Friend Paul Bruno may live in River Edge, but the plumbing contractor's hometown ties are strong: On Saturday, a wiffle ball tournament he organized will raise money for the Judy Center for Down Syndrome at Hackensack University Medical Center in honor of a special man he knew while growing up in West New York. Many affectionately called Alejandro “Bolo” Carreno “the mayor of Miller Park.” And although doctors said he likely wouldn’t survive his teens, Carreno reached 60 before he died in May 2017. "Bolo" was a major presence in town for three decades -- particularly when it involved spo…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Bergen County 6-Year-Old Blasts Sister In Grammar Lesson, Nails It Bergen County 6-Year-Old Blasts Sister In Grammar Lesson, Nails It
Bergen County 6-Year-Old Blasts Sister In Grammar Lesson, Nails It There are two things we know. One is that 6-year-old Alyssa of Bergen County has two older sisters. The other is that she can use the word is correctly in a sentence, as demonstrated by a recent class assignment: "My sistr is annaying," she wrote. What we don't know, however, is which sister Alyssa is referring to, mom Karen said -- especially since she actually "worships" both of them. "Later I asked her why she said that," Karen said. "She said 'I didn't have anything else to write.'" Karen suggested the word nice. But Alyssa said the discussion a…

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by Cecilia Levine
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'We Need More Time With Him' Says Maywood Family Fighting For Rescue Dog 'We Need More Time With Him' Says Maywood Family Fighting For Rescue Dog
'We Need More Time With Him' Says Maywood Family Fighting For Rescue Dog The Romano family of Maywood didn't know much about Buddy when they adopted him nearly 18 months ago. The vet guessed he was around nine years old and had probably been used as a bait dog. He had a scar on his leg, a few bumps along with chipped and missing teeth. Despite whatever it was he'd been through, all Buddy wanted was love. Last week, the Romano's beloved dog took a tumble down the stairs due to a sudden drop in blood pressure. Because of the fall, Buddy suffered internal bleeding and will need his spleen removed. The family isn't ready to let their dog go. "This pup has be…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Paramus Man Donates Kidney To Best Friend 'Now Brother' Paramus Man Donates Kidney To Best Friend 'Now Brother'
Paramus Man Donates Kidney To Best Friend 'Now Brother' Chris Clark and George Salameh have certainly had their share of ups and downs together. In 2003, Clark saw Salameh through his first kidney transplant from his mother. Just more than a decade later, Salameh was right by Clark's side when his wife, Patty Clark, suffered a brain aneurysm. So when Salameh's kidney began failing last spring, it only seemed natural to Clark to try to donate one of his own. Late last week, Salameh and Clark went in for their procedures, giving the longtime friends one more "up" to celebrate. "Chris donating his kidney means me having a life agai…

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by Cecilia Levine
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Dads Take Traditional Walk To Hasbrouck Heights HS Football Game -- 19.7 Miles Away Dads Take Traditional Walk To Hasbrouck Heights HS Football Game -- 19.7 Miles Away
Dads Take Traditional Walk To Hasbrouck Heights HS Football Game -- 19.7 Miles Away An educated guess told Ron Kistner that a quick stop lay ahead for him and buddy Bob Salerno more than halfway through a personal-record 19.7-mile walk to the Hasbrouck Heights/Butler high school football game in Butler on Friday. “Two middle-aged guys,” Kistner told Daily Voice. “Sooner or later, nature’s gonna call.” Kistner, a Hasbrouck Heights councilman and Allendale DPW director of operations, began walking to his son’s road games in 2011.  Salerno, a Lodi police lieutenant, has joined him on several jaunts -- or treks, depending on your perspective. Their boys are out of school, th…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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'Joan's Joy' Turns 25: Butterflies To Be Released For Foundation's Silver Anniversary 'Joan's Joy' Turns 25: Butterflies To Be Released For Foundation's Silver Anniversary
'Joan's Joy' Turns 25: Butterflies To Be Released For Foundation's Silver Anniversary Rosemarie D’Alessandro of Hillsdale hopes the sun will be shining Sunday when 25 butterflies are released during the silver anniversary of Joan’s Joy, the foundation she created to bring joy to youngsters and raise awareness of child-safety issues. The 4th annual Child Safety Fest begins at noon at the White Butterfly Sculpture and Garden – named for D’Alessandro’s slain daughter -- in front of the borough train station. Proceeds from the event will go towards child safety education programs at local schools and cultural excursions for disadvantaged children (The most trip brought 75 childr…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Back To School Means Ice Cream, Face Painting, More For Mahwah Kids Back To School Means Ice Cream, Face Painting, More For Mahwah Kids
Back To School Means Ice Cream, Face Painting, More For Mahwah Kids “Back to school” got really good for a group of Mahwah youngsters, thanks to the Silberstein Group at Keller William's Valley Realty and several other local businesses. “As a Realtor, I sell homes to families moving into town. It can be challenging to make new friends,” said Gary Silberstein, who spearheaded the free event at Memorial Field for 100 or so members of his Mahwah Moms and Dads Facebook group and their children. “This was also a way of bringing the parents together before the kids got submerged in after-school activities,” he said. In addition to a Good Humor ice cream truck, t…

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by Jerry DeMarco